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The Fraser fir (Abies fraseri), sometimes spelled Frasier fir, is an endangered species of fir native to the Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States. They are endemic to only seven montane regions in the Appalachian Mountains.
Fraser fir appears at 5,500 feet and becomes the dominant tree type at 6,200 feet (1,900 m). [ 4 ] [ 7 ] The two trees can be distinguished by their needles and cones , with Fraser firs having blunt-shaped needles and upright cones and red spruces having prickly four-cornered needles and cones pointing downward. [ 8 ]
Forest of red spruce and Fraser fir on the slopes of Mount Rogers. Mount Rogers is the northernmost habitat of the high-altitude Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forests, which are found in only five other locations in the United States: the Great Smoky Mountains, the Black Mountains, the Great Balsam Mountains, Grandfather Mountain, and Roan Mountain. [6]
Fraser fir prefers a rich, moist, slightly acidic soil that is well drained. It does best in loamy soils; heavy clays drain too slowly and will cause Fraser fir to suffer and decline. It is also ...
Thus, red spruce is now the dominant species in the range's spruce-fir forest. Large stands of dead Fraser firs remain atop Kuwohi and on the northwestern slopes of Old Black. While much of the red spruce stands were logged in the 1910s, the tree is still common throughout the range above 5,500 feet (1,700 m). Some of the red spruces are ...
The range's highpoint, Roan is clad in a dense stand of Southern Appalachian spruce–fir forest and includes the world's largest natural rhododendron garden and the longest stretch of grassy bald in the Appalachian range. [3] The Roan Highlands contain the highest quality remaining stretch of Fraser fir forest throughout the tree's entire ...
Spruce-fir forests occur at the highest elevations, above 3,200 feet (980 m). Their environment is cool and wet, with frequent fog and precipitation. Red spruce ( Picea rubens ) and Fraser fir ( Abies fraseri ) dominate the forest canopy.
The range takes its name from the dark appearance of the red spruce and Fraser fir trees that form a spruce-fir forest on the upper slopes which contrasts with the brown (during winter) or lighter green (during the growing season) appearance of the deciduous trees at lower elevations.